Third Time's The Charm
by Lovely Loree
Summary: 'Most people are lucky to find one soulmate. Sokka had three. And like they always say, the third time's the charm.' A little Tokka-ish thing I wrote. Rated T for a bit of implied sexual content.


**This is my first published fanfiction. I'm not going to tell you not to judge me too harshly, because I honestly don't take offense if you hate my story. You have opinions and I respect that. There are no drama llamas on my end.**

**But don't even get me started on the big incest battle centered around Tokka and Linzin. Just don't.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, or any of the characters.**

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Happiness.

Sokka never expected to find it again after losing Suki. He never truly lost Yue - he always felt her watching over him, and it was comforting to know that all he had to do was look up at the moon and she'd be there to listen. But losing Suki was different. When she died, it was the worst pain he'd ever felt, because he couldn't feel her with him. She was just...gone. His mother, whom he had lost at such a young age, lived on through his sister, Katara. At least he had some of her left.

His one regret was that he didn't at least have a child to carry on her legacy. Toph had Lin. Her husband had been killed in the same attack. They attended the group funeral together, stood in silence as they watched their spouses and several other victims being lowered into the ground. Sokka could still hear little Lin's heart-wrenching cries, the four-year-old screaming over and over for her daddy.

Then again, maybe it was a good thing he and Suki hadn't gotten around to having kids.

Four years passed, and the pain became easier to deal with. Especially since Sokka started spending most of his time alternating between his sister's family and the Beifong house. To all the kids, even Lin, he was Uncle Sokka, always good for a laugh, a shoulder to cry on, or just listen. He and Toph, who had shared the same tragic turn in their lives, were closer than ever, but their relationship was purely platonic.

Until Yakone.

Watching that evil, twisted man bloodbend Toph, lift her off the floor so she couldn't see, was almost more than Sokka could stand. He tried to move, tried to stop him, tried to tell Toph it was okay, but Yakone had him paralyzed. Sokka was helpless, completely helpless, and it terrified him. Yakone put them all to sleep before escaping. Panic set in as soon as Sokka came to. He glanced around and saw that everyone else was slowly waking up as well, but then his gaze fell on Toph. She wasn't moving. She wasn't moving. The idea of losing her hit him like a ton of bricks, and it was horrifying. Oh, spirits, no. Not again. Not her. When he held her in his arms and she opened her eyes, the relief he felt was overwhelming. That's when he knew he never wanted to lose her. Ever.

But he should have known it wouldn't be easy. Toph wasn't one to forget easily, and she wasn't comfortable with the idea of moving on. It wasn't easy for Sokka, either. He seemed to be cursed by the spirits to lose every woman he cared about - well, except Katara, but she was the Avatar's wife. You don't mess with the Avatar's wife if you want to keep all of your body parts intact. Besides, her health was perfect. Toph, on the other hand, Sokka worried about every minute of every day. As strong and resilient as she was, her job was dangerous, and crime in Republic City wasn't getting any better. After they started living together (exploring their relationship, as Toph called it), Sokka stayed home with Lin most of the time, distracting himself so he wouldn't go crazy worrying about Toph, even though every night when she came home safely he would pull her into a hug and hold her until his heart stopped pounding in his chest.

Sokka moved in with Toph, but it was nearly two months before they started sleeping together. He'd left the decision up to her, because he knew it would take her a long time to let herself be comfortable with the idea of having another man in her life. It was completely understandable. However, Sokka, being a man, had needs, and it took a hell of an effort to stay in his own bed and be patient. Luckily he didn't have to wait as long as he expected. The first time was a bit of a surprise. Sokka had a council meeting, and when he came home, Toph was waiting for him. She said she'd taken Lin to stay a few nights with Aang and Katara. Before Sokka could ask why, Toph gave him a smile that was pure evil, then sent her metal police uniform crumpling to the floor before basically attacking him. Not that he was complaining - in fact, everything that came out of his mouth that night was a praise or a compliment, except for those few times she made him swear loudly. Her body was flawless, her love greedy and demanding, and he couldn't get enough. When their few days were up and Lin came home, though, he had to admit he was a bit relieved. He didn't know how much more he could take, to be honest.

Their life together wasn't perfect. No, it definitely wasn't perfect. Toph was hardheaded and difficult, and Sokka could be immature and stupid. They fought and argued. Sometimes he had to go stay on Air Temple Island for a few days to clear his head. More often than not, though, the heat of their petty arguments was put to better use, and things were back to normal in the morning. Once in a while, when they lay tangled together in the afterglow of their lovemaking, they talked about marriage. But those conversations were rare and touchy. They didn't need a ceremony and a piece of paper, Toph argued, to tell them they would be together forever. They just needed each other. Even so, Sokka wanted to avoid the awkward conversation Lin would someday bring up concerning the officiality of their little family. At one point, he hoped that maybe if he and Toph had a child together, she would change her mind. She was quick to inform him that one was enough, and besides, they were in their forties. An even better argument, wasn't what they had enough? Of course it was. So that idea was soon put to rest.

The years Sokka spent with Toph were the best years of his life. They were never legally married. They never had a honeymoon or bought their own house. They lost love, and gained it back again with each other. In all the most important ways, he was a father to Lin, who lost her birth father far too young and barely remembered the man who held her in his arms for the first time.

Most people are lucky to find one soulmate. Sokka had three. And like they always say, the third time's the charm.


End file.
